Of course it is not communist. Everyone except Kim Il Jong, Fidel Castro, Evo Morales, and Hugo Chavez has figured out communism is dead.
China’s government is still brutally totalitarian. Is that any better? Were Mussolini and Hitler better than Stalin and Mao (omitting, of course, of total body count - Mao is still king there)?
Economic self-determination was but one of many rights trampled upon by communist governments. Is it any tribute to them that they have found it to their advantage to loosen up the economic repression in order to maintain its stranglehold on all other rights?
No, it's a tribute to us and our system. It really does breed success. (China is yet another economic example, notwithstanding the silly name they give it.) It also breeds hope, better standards of living, etc.
China's government has been eager to implement the economic freedoms, but it reticent to start with the social reforms. This was expected on all sides. Our logic was/is that once the people taste some freedom and success, they'll want more. Many scoff at the notion, but it seems to have some merit. The CCP's current story is that social reforms cannot begin until the economic reforms are stable. I have heard this tired line from MANY of my Chinese friends. They seem to accept the idea, and have some measure of trust in the government. I try to tell them, as often as possible, that if they wait until the economy is utterly stable, the social reforms will never come. (Heck, look at the US economy. When could it be said to have been "totally stable"? In a healthy capitalistic economy, there are downturns... sometimes bad ones.)
Just like Iran (with it's largely pro-Western younger generations), it seems like a victory for the good side is inevitable in the long run... but the bad guys certainly don't want to leave before making a mess of things. Enjoy the good news when you can find it in the media!
“Everyone except Kim Il Jong, Fidel Castro, Evo Morales, and Hugo Chavez has figured out communism is dead.”
And Hollywood.